From moral compromise to psychological depletion: How unethical pro-organizational behavior leads to role stress

In organizational practice, employees’ voluntary engagement in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) to promote organizational interests has become increasingly prevalent, drawing growing scholarly attention. While existing research has primarily focused on the antecedents and formation mechanisms of UPB, its potential consequences—Particularly its psychological impact on employees—Remain underexplored. Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study develops and tests a theoretical model to examine how employees’ proactive UPB influences their role stress via cognitive dissonance, and how organizational justice moderates these relationships. Using purposive sampling, data were collected from 548 valid responses from employees in Chinese enterprises. Empirical analyses were conducted through regression analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that UPB significantly and positively predicts both cognitive dissonance (β = 0.478, p < .001) and role stress (β = 0.527, p < .001). Cognitive dissonance also exerts a significant positive effect on role stress (β = 0.647, p < .001), serving as a partial mediator between UPB and role stress. Furthermore, organizational justice negatively moderates the effects of UPB on both cognitive dissonance and role stress. When employees perceive higher levels of organizational justice, the psychological strain associated with UPB is significantly alleviated; conversely, lower levels of perceived justice amplify the adverse effects. This study not only extends the theoretical understanding of the consequences of UPB but also offers empirical support for building fair management systems to mitigate psychological stress and reduce behavioral risks in organizations.